Reading with Colonel Mustang
by raigingstorm
Summary: A/U. When Ed did the alchemical reactions inside the book, he swore he could see a raven-haired man watch. But whenever he turned to get a better look, the man was always gone... Roy/Ed Oneshot. A few more details inside.


**Hey Guys!**

**Okay, so I KNOW this is not an update to Sparks, and PLEASE don't kill me for it not being. That will come next weekend, I swear! But... my muse said "write this, bitch, or I will explode and die forever." ...What choice did I have?**

**Besides... I REALLY love this oneshot. Does anybody know the song "Riding with Private Malone"? Hm? Anybody? Well... if you haven't ever heard of it, or know it and haven't heard it in a while... do yourself a favor and go look it up. Really, it will make this Oneshot a bazillion times better beeeccaaaause! it is a major spinoff of the song! I mean, it's got some basic elements from it bleneded in the FMA world...**

**Oh, by the way, this is A/U. Think of the universe as... a kinda parallel and pre-verse to the normal FMA world. Does that sound weird? I hope not. Anyhow. I've gone changing things again. Al's the older brother here, and I did that on purpose, yes. Our sweet Ed is around 20-ish and as for Roy... Well, you'll see, won't you dearies? Enough with my incessant typing! Please, move on to my work here!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or David Ball's song "Riding with Private Malone." I do, however, own the originality to mix them together along with a concept of mine.  
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><p>Riding with Colonel Mustang<br>Oneshot

The old bookstore was comforting in smell to Ed as he walked into its dark depths. In his conquest for a new hobby (stalking his now-married brother lost its appeal after the first time he had caught Al "making love" to his new wife), he had begged his older brother for some sort of _something_ to do. At first, Al was unsure of what to suggest, and after about a week of his incessant whining, Winry had finally thrown a wrench his way and told him to check out something called "alchemy."

Changing things from one state to another with diagrams? Sounded pretty interesting to Edward. He dove into the under-developed art with the same gusto he ate his food at night. Money at first, was an issue because alchemy books were expensive and rare. However, after the first months of alchemical transactions and demonstrations, Ed made a small fortune. After all, he was the only one in the small city of Central who not only knew alchemy, but was good at it as well. And so, his meager house was soon filled with the little tomes that so held his obsession.

He was now checking a new shop he had never been in previously in hopes to add to his alchemical collection. Alchemy, he had learned, was a very old and exact science that had been practiced since ancient days. Over time, the art had fallen out of favor to rising physical advancements and even, for a period of a few decades, had been considered witchcraft and the work of demons. However, despite its persecutions, alchemy had survived through the centuries and had been kept alive by the few who had discovered and practiced… and wrote about it. The last known alchemist had been a man by the identity of the Flame and who had been assassinated a mere ten years before Ed's birth. Since then, no new alchemical books had been put into print or even had been hand-copied, so Ed was forced to scrounge around in old stores hoping to come across a new one.

Dusty shelves lined the walls and excited him with hidden prospects. For an hour he leafed through what felt like hundreds of books, hoping for a glimpse of his beloved science. Cover after cover he stared at, wondering if each title had anything to do with alchemy. Dust and bits of wood flitted around him and the light shone dimly from the window. In the store it was him and the keeper, whom he hadn't yet seen.

Speaking of that dust… after a few minutes Ed felt a nasty urge to sneeze. The particles seemed to have coated his lungs and he was finding it difficult to breath properly. Unable to hold back, Edward let loose an earth shattering blast of air and, possibly, snot. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked down at where he head had been forced during the explosion. There, sitting in an old blue cover, sat beautiful script in gold, glittering up at him with the most simple, most amazing title he had ever seen.

"Fire Alchemy," Ed whispered the title aloud and picked the book up with a childlike glee. His searching had produced beautiful profit!

The book had no visible author, but that didn't matter. Edward knew he had found a gem in the dusty confines of the shop. Quickly, he made his way up to the counter and called to the shopkeeper.

An older blonde woman made her way to the desk from a room in the back. Her eyes were a striking brown-red, ones that seemed to pierce Ed's soul. In all honesty, he felt like he was being watched by a sharp-gazed hawk. "What can I get for you, Sir?"

"Just this, please," Ed placed the book on the counter.

The woman read over the title and something in her gaze softened. "An alchemist, huh? I thought I'd heard of one rising in Central, but you can never be sure about rumors…"

"Yes..." Ed trailed, watching the other blonde with interest. The way she looked at the book was almost… loving. It was certainly odd. "How much will that be?"

"Oh, this book?" She looked at him, and then back to the midnight blue cover. She seemed to contemplate something – probably the price – before smiling up at him, "ten cenz."

"W-what?" alarm played out its images on Ed's face. "But this book is so old, so rare… surly that cannot be its true worth?"

"Oh no, it is not. In fact, that book is priceless. However… I believe it was meant to be yours. And so, I shall sell it to you at ten cenz." The woman smiled at him, "and I will not haggle that price."

Ed shook his head and pulled out the required amount from his pocket. It was such a small price to pay… he felt almost guilty for taking the book at such a request. "Thank you…"

"Don't thank me," the shopkeeper said as she took the payment from him, "just take good care of it. It is a very important book."

With a nodd, Edward turned and tucked the book into the crook of his arm. "Have a good day," he called over his shoulder, golden eyes meeting a turned face as the woman moved to greet her newest customer, who made his way past Edward without a second glance at him.

"Ah, Jean, what can I do for you..?"

"Riza… one of my friends found this dog and I can't take care of him…"

Ed made his way home, walking along cobblestoned streets as a gray sky promised rain and a night shut in with candles lit and food eaten beside the large blue book he now owned.

Ed lived alone, aside from the occasional cat that Al happened to bring by. Winry placed her dog above any stray that Al fell in love with, so the older brother was left with nowhere to turn to take care of his newest feline. Nowhere except his younger brother Ed, and Ed could never bring himself to say no. It would make his brother happy…

The cats all ran away eventually anyways.

So when Ed opened the door to his home and almost tripped on a stray, he mentally cursed. On the door, a paper was nailed with Al's simple scrawl, begging him to take care of "Mushroom." With a sigh, a tome and note in one hand, and a ruddy brown cat in the other, Ed walked inside. The cat mewled and jumped away to the nearby sofa and promptly made itself at home. Ed lit himself a candle and made himself at home at his study table. The rain soon made itself at home pattering against the windowpane.

Mushroom purred, creating a comforting background noise. Maybe having the cat would not be so bad. With hands shaking lightly from excitement, Ed opened the cover. Inside, a personal note was written on the cover in long, hasty scrawl.

_My name is Colonel Roy Mustang._

_The odds are, if you are reading this then I'm no longer living. _

_But, for every alchemist that passes on, another shall rise. I've written all of my alchemical notes and research here in hopes that the one who reads this will put it to good use. It has always been my hope that alchemy become an integral part of society and not some abolished art hated because of its misconceptions. As you read through this, please realize that alchemy is still an unstable practice and may backfire… take caution._

_And remember that you are reading with Colonel Mustang._

Ed read over the note a few times and shivered. It was almost as if this Roy Mustang were staring at him now…

With a shake of his head, Ed poured into the new material. He would learn fire alchemy now, thanks to this Colonel!

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><p>The first time he tried out the new fire alchemy, Ed had been successful. Of course, it had been a simple task – just lighting a candle sitting in the center of the array – but it had been an accomplishment nonetheless. There was something odd, however, with the way he had felt during the process and afterwards… like he was being watched. And when the bright flash of mystical power lit the room, the blonde could have sworn he saw a glimpse of a man out of the corner of his eye…<p>

Curious, he tried it again, and with the same results.

The man was tall, pale and very handsome… for a man. His dark hair was loose around his face and his eyes were black like pitch. Ed wanted to really get a good look at him, but as soon as the blonde turned his head to look at him, he was gone. He had to be crazy or something. That night, he put away the alchemy early and went to bed early.

And then, every time afterwards when he did something out of the book, the same results came to him. Ed would perform the reaction flawlessly, and catch a glimpse of the man who disappeared as soon as he tried to get a better look. Could this be…? Was the man maybe a spirit or something? Some kind of specter?

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><p>As the blonde worked his way through the book, he became constantly more and more aware of the physical condition it was in. Looking at it, it really looked like a bit of trash – the cover was frayed at the edges and the binding was breaking free. The hard blue covering seemed fragile to the touch The pages were old and yellowed, and the writing on the inside had begun to fade off in places.<p>

If Ed didn't do something, the book eventually would break and crumble, and then nobody would be able to use it, let alone Ed himself.

With that firmly in mind, the young alchemist began the process of restoring the book. Carefully he reinforced the spine with other book binding (useless books that had nothing to do with alchemy, of course) and sewed the fraying cover threads firmly back in place. One day, he took fine black ink and, in his best script, traced over the old fading words inside. There wasn't much he could do for the pages, except treat them with care.

Finally, several months later when the book was in excellent condition, he re-painted the title in glittering gold paint. There. Now it was perfect. For a moment, he gazed at his work and knew that the tome would last for a very long time… but it was… missing something. With a somewhat sly smile, he took the paintbrush back in his hand and added the thing that had been missing from the book all along:

_Crafted by Colonel Roy Mustang._

With the final letter painted, Ed felt a rush of warmth spread across his body, like the book was radiating heat in thanks.

Ed knew if that ghost were real, he'd be awfully pleased.

The wave of warmth his body felt in response seemed to agree.

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><p>It was late one night, and Mushroom gone without a trace. Ed had worked his way through the majority of the book, pouring over each and every detail and almost coming to crave the man he saw because of them. It was like he was watching all the time… every little moment in Ed's life seemed to have a companion. If he thought about it, the feeling while doing something personal, such as bathing, was a bit disconcerting, but how was he supposed to confront a ghost, let alone stop him?<p>

That was, if the ghost actually existed and Ed _wasn't_ crazy.

He had drawn out the most complicated circle he had attempted yet. This one, according to the Colonel's notes, would create a pathway of fire that, for a few minutes, Ed would be able to control by moving his hand to guide it. Theoretically, his hand moving would disturb the air currents enough to direct the flame where he wanted it to go, the small turbulence magnified by the air runes crafted into the circle. In exchange, Ed had to provide material from the fire to burst from and, of course, his own energy. It was a sound process.

So when it all exploded in his face, Edward wasn't sure what had gone wrong. He felt himself fly backwards and hit the wall. He felt the rush of heat as the fire he had hoped to control roar by him to burn down his very house. He felt smoke fill each breath and his vision fade away as blood trickled from his head. He felt… hands… on his shoulders….

And it all faded to nothing.

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><p>The sound of the nurses woke him. They laughed and whispered from some direction.<p>

Ed didn't want to open his eyes yet. He knew where he was and what it all looked like – he had seen it before. The worn hospital had wooden walls and floors, and the ceiling was high yet open to the rafters. There was probably a window off to the side somewhere and the doctor's child's paintings on the wall. A fireplace was located in every room, but Ed knew his wasn't lit – there were no sounds of burning wood.

Everything burned and ached. Why was everything so painful?

"He's really quite lucky that man was there to save him."

"No kidding…. And he was _such_ a handsome man, too… shame he didn't stick around."

Curiosity forced his eyes open. A handsome man had saved him? And he was gone now?

Had it been…?

Ed moaned as the world came into focus. He lay on a cot, his head and much of his body wrapped in bandages. A jar of burn salve sat on a handcrafted table beside him. The nurses had left the room just before they could have seen their patient was awake. Water floated at his eyes. It all hurt… it all hurt like hell…

A sigh came from the corner of the room. Ed turned his gaze to where it came from.

There, before Ed, sat the ghost. The man.

"You…" Ed muttered weakly. "You.." his voice was raspy and it hurt to talk, but the man was here _now_, and he had to get his answers before the man disappeared again. Ed didn't think he could stand not knowing anymore.

He could see the ghost in detail now, though he wasn't sure why. He could see the raven black hair and every angle it fell at. He could see the darkness of his eyes that, in the light and while a little transparent, were highlighted with a deep blue.

_Like the cover of the book…_

"Did you save me?"Ed demanded. He had to know. Just one word… one word to tell him that he wasn't crazy. Ed looked at the man with pleading golden eyes. One word.

"Yes."

Ed's breath hitched involuntarily. The man had spoken! And with what a voice! A voice that sounded so unreal, so low and desirable yet confident and _normal_. A voice that more than suited the image.

"Why?" was his breathy reply. He wanted to hear more. Edward was enchanted, like he had found something he had been missing all his life.

"The book," he said simply, "It was my life's work."

"You are Colonel Roy Mustang…" Ed murmured quietly. He had been followed by the very alchemist who had created the book he so held dear? Been rescued by him?

With a small smile, the Colonel nodded. Then, he stood and slowly made his way over to the blonde on the cot. "I've found you… I've found you this time… maybe that's why I was attached to the book, but the point is I've found you." His dark eyes shone with some emotion Ed had only seen in Al's before. When Al looked at Winry…

"W-what do you mean..?" Ed asked, his voice quavering in some unknown response. Why were the other's man's words soliciting such a reaction from him? Morely, why did it feel so incredibly _natural_?

"It is just a shame it ended up this time…" Mustang continued, stopping a mere foot from Ed's side, "That I had to die a full ten years before you where even born… It feels like wasted time… I've felt so empty, Ed."

The words were strange, and Ed knew they should have made no sense to him, that he should be considering both his sanity and the Colonel's right about now, but instead he pushed that all aside. Somehow he understood exactly what the ghost was saying to him. It was as if the older man was speaking to a part of him that rested deep inside his soul. A part that knew the man very well and, hell, _ached_ for him. A part that Ed had avidly ignored all his life because there was no way to satiate it. There, in Roy's presence, Ed realized what the man was speaking of.

There was a warm flame between the two that shone like twins and polar opposites at the same time. The blonde had never been able to see it before… but maybe, in fact, he had.

In some previous life…

Roy placed his hand on Ed's cheek, and the blonde could barely feel it. "Do you understand, Ed?"

With a slow nodd and a gentle smile, Ed replied, "Yeah.. I do…"

Roy sighed softly again, like how he had the first time. "Then, I have no ties here any longer." Excruciatingly slow, the dark-haired man bent forward and placed his lips over Ed's.

A kiss, though now the man was fading before Ed's very eyes, and he couldn't feel anything.

Panic flooded him. Roy was leaving him now? But they had just come together again… and… Damn, there was this ache! This want, this _need_ that burned more than the physical burns on his body. He couldn't go yet!

"Wait!" Ed called out as Roy became almost invisible. Before him stood only a faint outline of the man he knew with his very soul that he loved and always would… he always had.

"I'll see you in the next life, my love," was all Roy said in reply before he faded completely from sight.

It was all Ed could do to keep from weeping at the loss, but the man's final words hung firmly in his mind as a promise that would keep him going for the rest of his days.

After all, they had eternity to meet up in, right?

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><p><strong>OH GOD PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKE IT, NO? I ADORE THIS CONCEPT<strong>

**I ADORE THE IDEA OF SOULMATES AND TRYING TO FIND THEM IN YOUR LIFE**

**AND EVEN NOT FINDING THEM **

**asdfjkl;**

**Review! Please! I beg it of you!  
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